Kaptai spillways closed after 107 hours water release

RANGAMATI, July 23: Authorities on Wednesday night closed all 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant after keeping them open for more than 107 hours to release excess water from Kaptai Lake, as the water level dropped to a safe level.

Manager (Engineering) of the Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station Mahmud Hasan said the spillway gates were closed at 11:00 pm on Wednesday after four days of continuous water discharge significantly reduced the lake's water level.

He said the water level in Kaptai Lake stood at 103.26 feet mean sea level (MSL) when the gates were closed. The plant's five generating units were meanwhile producing an average of 220 megawatts of electricity.

The spillway gates were opened by six inches at 11:20 am on Saturday after the lake's water level rose to 104.08 feet MSL, approaching the danger level due to heavy rainfall.

The release allowed around 9,000 cusecs of water per second to flow from Kaptai Lake into the Karnaphuli River, easing pressure on the reservoir.

After 107 hours and 40 minutes of continuous discharge, the lake's water level returned to a safe range, prompting the authorities to close all 16 spillway gates, officials said.